Jazz forward Karl Malone said Monday that his comments on Magic Johnson weren't intended to force Johnson into retirement, but to express a concern shared by players throughout the NBA.
Following Johnson's retirement Monday, the Mailman became the focus of media attention across the country. Malone was quoted in Sunday's New York Times that he was concerned about playing against someone who has tested HIV positive. "They can't tell you that you're not at risk, and you can't tell me there's one guy in the NBA who hasn't thought about it."But Malone told the Deseret News that getting Johnson to retire wasn't his intent. "My comment was not for the guy to retire. That's not the issue here. I'm looking at a small picture here. I'm not looking at hockey, baseball or football. I'm looking at basketball and the guys I play with and compete against. Now, if you can't tell me that deep in your heart that you're not concerned or your family is not concerned, then I don't think you're the man you think you are."
The retirement of Johnson was his second within a year. Johnson announced last November that he had tested HIV positive and was retiring from basketball. But after playing in the Summer Olympics, he announced he was returning to the league. On Monday he retired again, saying that he was devoting time to fighting AIDS. He also added, "It has become obvious that the various controversies surrounding my return are taking away from both basketball as a sport and the larger issue of living with HIV for me and the many people affected," he said.
Malone wasn't the only NBA player who expressed concerns. New Jersey's Chris Morris was quoted saying players were concerned. "Everyone is trying to watch out for themselves with the virus around," said Morris. "In basketball you can get a lot of open cuts, get hit in the jaw, get hit in the mouth and lose teeth, be cut every way. They are just being cautious how it might affect their playing. With him in the game there is a lot of distraction. It was a hard thing to deal with for an athlete. It's a sad thing to see."
Malone continued, saying that "maybe I said something that other guys thought but wouldn't say.
"I'm not trying to be a savior or to be anything myself. The concern I have is for my safety and my teammates' safety. If you turn it around put that shoe on the other foot, what if it was and if it was Karl Malone with the virus . . . if they weren't concerned, I would think something is wrong with them, because I get scratched and bleed all the time. If it wasn't a contact sport, it wouldn't be an issue here."
The Jazz All-Star went on to call Johnson "probably the greatest player ever to play the game."
"I'm not going after Magic or any people with the HIV virus or anything," he said. "I'm merely looking at Karl Malone's safety and his teammates."
He added that he doesn't have the power to force anyone into retirement. "People say, `Now, Karl, how do you feel that what you said a lot that had to do with his retirement.' Give me a break. I've never had that much influence on a player and I never will."
While the Mailman admitted concern about playing against Johnson, Phoenix's Charles Barkley didn't. "Magic is my friend and whatever he wants to do is fine. I'm not afraid of playing with him. But I'm sick of talking about it."
He continued, "If Magic wants to play basketball, he should be entitled to. I'm not afraid to play with him. This is getting ridiculous. People know nothing about HIV. Everyone is a (expletive) doctor all of a sudden. I played against him all summer and it never crossed my mind."
Phoenix's Kurt Rambis, a former teammate of Johnson's, added, "I don't know there was enough peer pressure to drive him (out). But there could have been enough to make it not fun.
"You don't want to be somewhere where you aren't wanted."
A televised report also said Phoenix President Jerry Colangelo had said Johnson had "no right to play." But Colangelo denied the report. "I would never question anyone's rights and I never said that," said Colangelo.
Added Barkley, "The whole thing is just a soap opera and they ought to take it to TV for good ratings."
Jazz guard Jay Humphries echoed some of Malone's feelings. "My thing was just, knowing how physical the game is and how much contact there is, could there possibly be a transmittal through play. They say you can get it through a dentist's instruments - there's documentation on that. So I don't think we really know enough. But I don't know. I'm still mixed about his retirement now."